


Entrust Me

by reddragon29



Category: The 100 (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-25 13:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7534915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddragon29/pseuds/reddragon29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke's friend entrusted her with a goldfish, which she promptly had to replace. Lexa is the one who replaces it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fifth prompt from this list of AUs: http://narcissisticfelix.tumblr.com/post/145217584794/a-list-of-random-dumb-aus
> 
> [“My friend is out of town and I’m supposed to be taking care of his pet fish but it died and you work at the pet store help me find one that looks the same so he won’t notice"]
> 
> I started this as a short one shot and it turned into a 15 page work..................whoops........

“Hi, um, do you know what kind of fish this is?”

Lexa looked up from her crossword at a girl showing her a picture of a fish on her phone. “Yeah, that’s just a goldfish.”

“Really? Oh. Well I had to pet sit and I accidentally killed it so I’ll be needing another one. How much is it?”

“Twenty-five cents.”

The girl fished in her pocket for some change. “Uhh, I only have fifteen. Octavia is going to kill me if I don’t have a fish when she gets back next week. Do you mind if I just run out to my car and see if I have another ten?”

“No, go ahead, I’ll bag one for you.”

“Thanks.” She ran out of the store. Lexa did as she said she would. Then she sat back in her chair and tried to concentrate again on the crossword, but found that all she could think about were the blonde locks and elegant figure of the girl that had just walked in panicking about her friend’s dead fish. Her efforts to figure out 37 Down were fruitless and interrupted by the blonde returning to the counter, seemingly more flustered than before.

“I couldn’t find ten more cents, and I’m not getting paid until--”

Lexa held up a hand to stop her. She fished (no pun intended) in her pocket for a quarter that she was going to use for the bus, but she figured she could walk home today. This girl was well worth the exercise. “Look you found a quarter on the ground,” she exclaimed, holding the coin out and gesturing for her to take it.

“Oh no, I couldn’t, I--”

“Now you can buy the goldfish and your friend will never know you killed hers.” Lexa’s voice was insistent.

The girl hesitated, then took the coin gratefully before trying to hand it back as part of the game. But Lexa shook her head and pushed her hand away, sliding the fish across the counter.

“We’re very busy today, I should get on to the next customer. Enjoy your fish!” she said cheerfully.

“There’s no one else in the store?”

“Yes I can see that. Have a good day.”

“You’re doing a _crossword_ for fuck’s sake.”

Lexa put her pencil down and peered up at her. “Can’t you just accept my act of kindness and leave me to die from boredom?”

“Why would I do that? You probably just saved my life. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No need.”

“Seriously. You have no idea what wrath you’ve saved me from.”

“I’ve seen major wrath from my sister, I don’t think it could get much worse.”

“Well I have to do something, and I’m broke so I can’t take you to dinner or something.”

“It’s fine, really.” When Lexa took in the beautiful girl’s downcast face, she took pity. “Okay, I guess there is one thing you could maybe do.”

Her face lit up.

“You could go on a coffee date with me. Romantic, if you’re into that, or not.”

“Yes! Yes, I can do that. I can do that,” she repeated.

“Alright. I’ll be at the Starbucks across the street tomorrow at 4:30 after my shift with two coffees. Your presence considers the favor and the coffee repaid. Would you like room for cream in yours?”

“N-no, plain is fine, thanks.”

“It’s a date then.” Lexa smiled at her. “I’m Lexa, by the way.”

“Clarke.”

They shook hands. Lexa could hardly keep herself from wincing at the jolt of electricity that ran through her when their fingers touched. She was trembling at the contact, but she was the one who had remained cool and collected about the fish and the date. She had to keep the facade for her own sanity. As Clarke thanked her one last time and walked out, Lexa picked up her crossword with every intention to fill in a word before she let herself celebrate. All hope of that vanished when her co-worker (and cousin) Lincoln slid up to her side with a giant grin on his face.

“Wow, Lexa, you’re so smooth,” he teased.

She groaned. “Lincoln, I already feel enough like an idiot, I don’t need you on my ass too.” She pushed her thick brown hair out of her face in exasperation. “Though it was pretty smooth, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah! Really smooth. If there was a girl that pretty panicking in front of me I probably would have bagged her head instead of the fish!”

“Okay, gross, but since you’re you I don’t think it would be entirely unlikely.”

“Thanks, Lex.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So what’s the plan then? For tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think that far.”

“You’re always at least three steps ahead, Commander.”

“I plan for events that have a clear beginning and end step. There are no steps on a date.”

“And that’s what make them fun. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.

He punched her shoulder playfully. “You won’t get anywhere with that attitude. Come on, it’s time for closing.”

“Go ahead, I’m walking home today.” She hopped off her stool and tucked her newspaper under her arm.

“I have an extra quarter I’m willing to let you borrow.”

“It’s fine. Walking clears my head. I’d rather get the fresh air.”

“Whatever you say.” His tall, muscular body sauntered off between the aisles of pet food. Lexa locked all the tanks up and made sure the lights for the cold blooded creatures were turned on dim for the night. She heard Lincoln closing up the registers out front. After she had recycled her newspaper with the unfinished crossword, she went to the storage room to do stock. One of the groomers was supposed to do it that week but they had been out sick. It was late by the time Lexa finished and she put down the clipboard with a yawn. Lincoln was long gone and it was dark outside. She pulled on her bag, then made sure the store was completely locked up before beginning the forty minute walk home.

There was a loud honk behind her.

“Lexa! Need a ride?” It was her sister, Anya.

“Hey Anya, I don’t mind the walk.”

“Seriously kiddo, get in the car. I don’t want you walking in the dark.”

“Fine.” Lexa opened the door and got inside. “How was your day?”

“Titus showed us some new designs he’s been working on. I think they’re going to do very well.” Anya worked for a t-shirt company that had just started to take off in the last few months.

“That’s exciting.”

“Probably no more exciting than working at a pet store.”

“I doubt it. All I did today was sell a very pretty girl a fish.”

“Oh? And did you get this pretty girl’s number?”

“No, but we’re going on a date tomorrow.”

“Nice! Slightly out of character for you, but good job, Lexa.”

“Not you too,” she groaned. “That’s what Lincoln said. He thinks I can’t go into something without a plan. I plan to have a nice coffee date with someone.”

“Whatever you say, kid.”

“Ugh, Anya, I’m twenty years old. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Fine, fine.”

They pulled into their parking space and climbed up the two flight of stairs to their apartment. A pleasant aroma wafted towards them from the kitchen. Lincoln waved a ladle to let them know he had heard them come in.

“I hope you don’t mind I made some dinner for us all,” he said. He lived across the hall but came over often so he had his own key. Though, he hadn't been coming around so much lately.

“Not at all. When’s it going to be ready?” Anya asked.

“Now, actually.”

“Perfect.”

Once they were all settled at the table they fell into light conversation about their days. Lincoln brought up Lexa’s date with Clarke briefly, and they teased her for a bit, then moved on. Lexa let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when they finally cleared the table and went to their respective rooms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Lexa just a boring pet shop worker? Is Clarke just a failing artist?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so much of this written already, I'm probably going to post two chapters a day until it's caught up.  
> Thanks for reading!

Lexa didn’t have to work until noon the next day, and she spent the morning going over a wedding she was helping a couple plan. She was supposed to meet with them that night, around six, which would give her an out if the date wasn’t going well. Not that she thought it wasn’t going to go well. But if. She wasn’t worried. Okay maybe a little.

She could spill her coffee all over Clarke. Forget to order the second one. Clarke could forget they had a date. They could run out of things to talk about. One of the pet shop employees could have an emergency and she was the only one who could cover it, causing her to miss the date. And she would have no way of contacting Clarke to tell her she wouldn’t be able to make it because she didn’t have her number.

_Take a deep breath Lexa. It will be okay. Everything will be fine._

She showered before she left, putting on her favorite t-shirt and jeans. It was a shirt from the company Anya worked at: black with the Skaikru gaming company logo. They had just signed a deal with Triku for all rights to make merchandise with their name on it. Anya and Titus loved their games and were happy to be producing merch for them. After tying the laces on her rainbow painted Chucks, she made her way down to the bus stop.

By bus it only took her fifteen minutes to get to work. From there, she only had four and a half hours to come up with some things to say to Clarke so their conversation wouldn’t run dry. They didn’t go by slowly. Before she knew it, she was hanging up her apron and waiting at the corner for the walk sign to change from the red hand to the green person. And then she was in line waiting to order the coffees. And then she was sitting at a table by herself with them, waiting for Clarke.

4:32. That’s when Clarke finally opened the door of the cafe. She looked around for a moment, then spotted Lexa sitting alone at a table by the window, watching people walk past outside. She had two steaming coffees in front of her.

“Hey, Lexa!”

Lexa looked up at the blonde beauty. “Hey,” she smiled. “Here’s your coffee.”

Clarke took the seat across from her and brought the coffee up to her lips to take a sip. “Thanks, I really needed this. I pulled an all nighter finishing a piece for an art show tonight.”

“Oh you’re an artist?”

“Yeah. The galleries never pay me until after a show finishes, so I’m left hoping someone buys a painting in the meantime so I can buy food. They give me that money as it comes in for some reason. I don’t see how it’s any different...”

Lexa tuned out what Clarke was actually saying and just listened to her voice go on about how galleries mistreated their artists. She was a talker, meaning they wouldn’t run out of things to talk about even if she tried. All Lexa wanted to do in the time she had between now and when she had to meet the couple to be married was listen to Clarke talk as she watched her facial features and--

“Lexa?”

She realized Clarke had asked her how her day at work had gone. “Sorry, um, it was okay. I had the morning off and I got to explain to some kids how to care for a turtle. That’s about it. How’s the fish you got yesterday?”

“Alive, thankfully.”

“Good to hear.”

“Do you do anything for fun? Working at a deserted pet store can’t be your only passion.”

“Sadly it is.”

Clarke looked at her in disbelief.

“I’m only joking,” Lexa laughed. “I plan events like weddings and executive parties for people when I’m not meeting cute blondes at the deserted pet store.”

She pushed her hair out of her face and laughed. “Thank god! I was worried for a second that I had finally met someone nice and they turned out to be super boring.”

“Are you saying I wouldn’t be cool if I just worked at the pet store? You’re the one who agreed to come on a date with someone you were worried might be boring.”

“I had a hunch there was more to you than you let on.”

“And how did that hunch work out?”

“I’d say it worked out pretty well, Miss Party Planner.”

Lexa finished her coffee and noticed Clarke’s cup was also empty. “Did you want another one?”

“No thanks. I find lack of sleep and too much caffeine don’t exactly go hand in hand when I’m nervous.”

“Why are you nervous? I’m sure your art show will go well.”

“That’s not what I’m nervous about.”

There was a short moment where both women knew what Clarke was actually nervous about and neither wanted to bring it up. Lexa was nervous too. For something she didn’t have planned down to the breaths she was taking, things were going pretty well.

“Um, well, I would love to come out and support you sometime,” Lexa finally said to break the silence.

“Yeah, that would be great. When you’re not planning for people and stuff.”

“Weekends are usually busiest for me. Especially Fridays and Saturdays. I’m guessing that’s when most galleries are open?”

“Not always. Some are open every day, like the one I’m working with now, and they just expect less people during the week.”

“So if I were to come by next Tuesday evening, that would be okay?”

“Of course!” Clarke thought for a moment. “I’d have to trade shifts with Raven, but I can give you a tour of the show if you’d like? It’s a free event, open to all.”

“I would love that.” Lexa smiled softly, letting her hair fall slightly in front of her face to hide the fact that she was blushing because they were casually making plans to see each other again.

“Not to completely change topics or anything, but where did you get that shirt?”

“My sister works at a t-shirt company, why?”

“That’s my friend’s gaming company.”

“Skaikru? Your friend owns Skaikru Games?” Lexa was in disbelief.

“Yeah, Bellamy Blake, creator and owner of all Skaikru products.”

“Wow.” Anya would flip.

“Yeah,” she said again. “His sister Octavia is like, my best friend in the world.”

Lexa didn’t know what to say.

“Anyways, I really like the design. Do you think you could get me one? I’ll pay you back when I can.”

“Um, these ones are, uh, sold out. It’s an older design, and they don’t keep many of those around.”

“Aw that’s too bad. It’s a really cool design.” Clarke sounded disappointed despite the silly grin on her face.

“Yay!” Her face lit up. The curls of her hair bounced as she suddenly sat straighter, drawing attention to pink highlights Lexa hadn’t noticed earlier.

Her phone buzzed. It was the reminder that she had to be at the bus stop in a few minutes so she could go home and pick up the materials for her meeting. She groaned inwardly.

Clarke noticed the air about her changing. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just I have to get home soon.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I would much rather stay here talking with you.”

Clarke let herself deflate again. “I can drive you to wherever you’re going.” Anything to spend more time with the brunette.

“No, I couldn’t let you do that. I live out of the way in the warehouse district.”

“You’re in luck: my art show is out there. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

The blonde was insistent and Lexa felt something inside of her melt as those blue eyes begged her to come along. Putting aside all fears that she was getting in a stranger’s car, she agreed to let Clarke take her home. Clarke talked the whole way about the other artists in the show, Lexa making appropriate comments when prompted. But mostly she was just watching her. Wondering what sort of art she made. She was telling her all about the other artists and nothing of herself. It left Lexa unsatisfied when they pulled up in front of her apartment building.

“So I’ll see you on Tuesday then?” Clarke asked as Lexa was stepping out of the car.

She nodded. “What time does the gallery open for the night?”

“Seven. And it’s super casual wear, nothing fancy. People always hear ‘gallery’ and think ‘get dressed up’. What you’re wearing now is totally fine. Give me your phone so I can put my number in your contacts. Text me about the shirt and I’ll give you directions to the gallery.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” She handed over her phone to Clarke, who quickly typed her information in then handed it back. “See you on Tuesday, Clarke.” Lexa lingered for a second longer, taking in Clarke’s faded black jeans covered in paint splatters, black tank, and dark blue hoodie. Then she forced herself to exit the vehicle and stand on the curb as she drove off before the girl’s blue eyes sent her spiraling out of control.

Getting a ride from Clarke bought her about ten extra minutes to prepare for her meeting. The couple she was meeting was one she had never met before. In preparation for their meeting she had put together a few concept binders, which she packed into her backpack along with a few samples of previous weddings she had done. While on the bus, she reviewed important information about them: Mr and Ms. Smith, together for two years, wanted a medium sized ceremony. Not much to go on, but it seemed they were in agreement about what size wedding they wanted so that was a good sign. She had worked with several couples who couldn’t agree on that and it put a major damper in the planning process every time.

Lexa checked her phone as she stood at the stop she was supposed to get off at. It was a really nice neighborhood, with houses that probably cost ten times as much as her year’s total rent. Well, she didn’t want to prejudge her clients before she even laid eyes on them. A few more blocks walked and she was making her way up a long path through a large perfectly manicured lawn. The house was smaller than most of the others surrounding it, modest if you will, if you ignored the giant lawn. The doorbell was surrounded by an elaborate metal piece. She pushed the button.

The door immediately opened. In its place stood a woman about her age with a serious but friendly expression dressed all in black with a leather jacket despite the summer heat. Long dark braids cascaded down her back. Definitely a Ms. Smith.

“Ms. Smith?” she asked.

“Soon to be Mrs. You must be Lexa,” she said. “Come in.”

Lexa followed her into the great house and looked around in wonder. The entry hall was shallow, and it led straight into the living room, which was probably bigger than Lexa’s entire apartment. From there, she could see a very large dining room through double doors.

“Over here.” The woman motioned her to one of the couches in the living room. Across from that one sat a familiar man.

“Lincoln?”

“Hey Lex,” he smiled.

“You’re getting married?” she exclaimed.

“I wanted to tell you over dinner last night, but I figured you were too caught up thinking about your date with Clarke.” Lincoln stood and put an arm around the woman’s shoulder. “This is Octavia.”

Lexa rushed to him and hugged him excitedly. “Congratulations Lincoln!”

“I know I haven’t talked about her much, and I’ve been distant lately, but this is why. Octavia and I met at one of Anya’s drop offs at Skaikru Games. We went on a couple dates, and then realized there was nothing we wanted more than to spend the rest of our lives together.” He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead as she looked up to meet his gaze. “It’s been a little over a year.

“Well, I’m not going to be the one to tell Anya, that’s on you. And I’m not responsible for any injuries you sustain when you do,” Lexa said.

“Wait did you say Clarke?” Octavia interrupted them.

“Yeah, we just got coffee this afternoon.” She suddenly realized who she was talking to. “You’re Octavia. Her best friend.” How many other people could be named Octavia in this area?

She scoffed. “I better be her best friend. Clarke, draws a lot, sells crappy paintings to desperate art shows.”

“That would be here. Except, I haven’t seen any of her art yet, so I can’t judge that.”

“What a small world,” Lincoln laughed.

“You’d be glad to know she wouldn’t shut up about you last night when she was at Raven’s party. They had to gag her.”

“Um,” was all Lexa could say. She felt her face burn. Then she stopped. “Wait. Aren’t you on vacation? Clarke mentioned you were.”

“Oh I tell her that sometimes so that she won’t make me come over and help her decide which paintings go to which art show. I even gave her a fish this time to make it seem more realistic.” Octavia explained. “I love her, and I support her, but her style of art is not really my thing.”

Not exactly the answer Lexa was looking for. “I see,” she said skeptically.

“Yes, well, let’s get started on this planning, shall we?” Lincoln sat down on the couch again, tugging Octavia down with him. She seemed reluctant to let him. Lexa sat on the couch across from them that Octavia had originally gestured to.

“I, uh, brought some ideas I had with me, but now that I know it’s for you I don’t think they’ll be what you’re looking for. So let’s talk about somethings you’re looking for besides a medium sized wedding.”

“No, Lexa I’d like to see some of the things you came up with,” said Octavia. “Lincoln says you have an incredible eye.”

“If you insist.” Lexa removed her binders from her backpack and laid them on the table between them. “Here are some weddings I’ve done in the past, and here are some ideas I had for your wedding specifically. I didn’t know if you wanted an indoor or outdoor--”

“Outdoor,” they both said together.

“Perfect, I’ll just set this indoor one aside then. I find people typically like these three color schemes, but we can totally work with any colors you’d like. If you tell me your budget I can assist you in arranging the catering and cake, as well as the venue.”

“Budget isn’t a problem,” came a deep voice from behind Lexa.

“Bellamy!” Octavia jumped up and ran to hug a man who was slightly shorter than Lincoln.

Lexa smacked herself on the forehead, suddenly making a connection. “Why didn’t I see this sooner! Lincoln, you’re marrying the sister of Bellamy Blake, owner of Skaikru Games. This is so crazy,” she exclaimed. She stood and introduced herself. “Excuse me, I’m Lexa Woods, I’m helping your sister and Lincoln plan their wedding.” They shook hands.

“Bellamy Blake,” said the man, “but of course you just said that. Octavia deserves a perfect wedding and Lincoln says you’re the best. You better not disappoint.” Bellamy winked at her and she blushed at his praise.

“Well, I don’t know about that, but if he says so then it must be true,” she replied. “We were just starting to talk about venue.”

“We’ll have it at our lake house in our private forest land in Maine,” Octavia told her.

So much for modest, thought Lexa. “I guess that’s settled then.”

“Looks like you guys have a handle on this. I’ll be in the Game Cave if you need me.” Bellamy left them.

“How many guests exactly were you planning on then?”

“I have a list of my guests here.” Octavia passed her a piece of stationery, which Lexa looked over briefly before Lincoln handed over his own list. It was about half the size of Octavia’s.

“You’re on it, don’t worry,” he chuckled when he saw her scanning it.

“I’m not worried, you doof, I have to make sure things go smoothly so I’ll be there whether or not you want me to be.”

“You’d be surprised how good O’s security is, Lex. They almost took me down the first time I decided to surprise her at work. Almost.” Lincoln was a giant guy (six feet, two inches tall) who hit the gym more way more than the couch.

“Um, okay, I’ll be sure to be on the look-out for that.”

“Are you working next week?” he asked.

“Just Monday, Tuesday, and then Thursday morning. Then I have a five day weekend because the store owners are going on vacation.”

“Come with us to the lake house. Scope it out and tell us what you think?” Octavia’s face was encouraging, but also threatening in a way. As if Lexa didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“U-um, sure, I can do that. Should I expect to stay the full weekend...?”

“Yes! Take a vacation with us, Lexa,” said Lincoln.

“I’m inviting Clarke,” Octavia offered.

Lexa guessed that was supposed to make the trip sound more enticing, but all it did was put her stomach in knots. In the woods with Clarke? Sure, there would be other people around, except who’s to say they wouldn’t be left alone at some point, especially with Octavia seemingly plotting to join them together?

Her silence didn’t go unnoticed.

“Relax, Commander. Your date with Clarke today went okay, right? You would be in a bad mood if it didn’t. So inviting Clarke seems like a no brainer,” Lincoln tried to reassure her.

She still wasn’t convinced. What Octavia had said earlier about lying to Clarke added to her stomach jitters; Lexa wasn’t completely sure she trusted Octavia yet to go to an isolated location with her. “I’ll think about it. Put me down for a night or two for now, just to check out the space. Luckily it’s the lull in wedding season, so I don’t have any other couples to work with.”

“Come on Lexa, take a break,” Lincoln begged. “Come upstate with us.”

“There’s a lake,” Octavia tried again.

“I guess I can spare a whole long weekend away,” Lexa gave in.

“I knew she’d come around,” Lincoln said to his fiancée.

“I never doubted you for a second,” she said, nuzzling her nose to his. They kissed briefly, causing Lexa to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Other couples did this all the time, it just felt different when it was her cousin.

She cleared her throat. “It seems we have half this wedding planned already, then. Usually it takes a while to figure out the guest list and venue, especially within a couple’s budget. Since we have all that worked out, we just need to talk about the ceremony itself and the reception.”

The three of them spent the next two hours discussing the details of Octavia and Lincoln’s ceremony. At the end of the session, Octavia handed her a check. Lexa gasped when she saw the number written on it: it was three times her usual fee.

“Before you say anything, I’m not making a mistake, I know it’s too much. We want you to know how much this means to us that you’re helping us plan this. Lincoln told me you and your sister are barely making rent, so we wanted to do something in return,” said Octavia.

Lexa opened her mouth but no words came out.

“Just take it,” Lincoln said gently.

“T-thank you,” she squeaked.

“You’re welcome.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa tells her sister about Lincoln and Octavia. Clarke paints her feelings on canvas and sells them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

Lincoln and Octavia dropped Lexa off at the apartment building on their way to a dinner date. She thanked them again for the ride as she got out of the car, waving as they drove off. Then she dragged herself up the stairs, unlocked the door to their unit, and flopped on the couch with a sigh. What a day.

“You okay?” Anya came into the living room with a blanket ready to drape over her. Lexa gladly wrapped it tight around her.

“Yeah, long day is all. I don’t want to spoil the news, but did you know Lincoln is getting married?”

“Seems like you’ve spoiled it then. And no, I did not. To who?”

“Octavia Blake.”

“Bellamy Blake’s sister? Owner of Skaikru Games? You’re kidding.”

“I am completely serious.”

Anya rubbed her chin. “This is interesting information. You’re sure now?”

“I just got back from an appointment with a Mr. and Ms. Smith who turned out to be Octavia and Lincoln. Look in the front pocket of my bag for the check Octavia gave me, she signed it herself in front of me. It is very real.” Lexa laid an arm over her face.

Her sister went to look in her backpack and found the slip of paper. “She paid you this much for three hours?”

“Yep. Apparently Lincoln told her we’ve been having trouble making rent.”

“Wow,” was all Anya said.

*****************************

The weekend came and went, then the first few days of the week. Then she was standing outside of the gallery Clarke had sent her directions to. She was wearing a brand new Skaikru t-shirt courtesy of Anya and Titus and black skinny jeans, with black vans. In her hand she clutched the shirts with the older designs on them for Clarke. Anya had been kind enough to print a few of different ones, not just the one Lexa was wearing that day at the coffee shop.

Her legs were shaking, but she willed them forward into the building. She was greeted by a woman about her age sitting on a stool behind a tall desk. A name tag pinned to the woman’s shirt read "Raven."

“Hi, um, I’m looking for Clarke?”

“Lexa!” cried a voice that sounded way more familiar than it should after only hearing it a few times before. Lexa turned, only to be thrown off balance by a flurry of blonde curls.

“Hello,” she said in response as Clarke let her go.

“Raven, this is Lexa. The one I was telling you about,” she added. “Lexa this is my friend Raven.”

The woman behind the desk nodded, seeming to eye Lexa as if she were judging a pedigree. “Very nice, Clarke.” She flashed a thumbs up with a grin.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Lexa. She shifted uncomfortably.

“Raven,” Clarke looked at her pointedly. “Don’t you have things to do?”

“Oh, yes, I am quite busy. Let me just log one more guest in the logbook. Much to do,” Raven monotoned, turning to her computer and clicking the mouse once. “All finished.”

“You’re no help.” Clarke rolled her eyes and turned away from her towards Lexa. “Step right this way and we’ll begin the tour.” She held out her arm to point in the direction of the entrance. Lexa walked with Clarke to the first painting.

“You know you love me,” Raven called after them.

“This is by yours truly, it’s titled _Fusion_. See the gray and black mixing over here to make white? It represents the renewal found through taking risks. Instead of meeting a dark fate, you find a new, brighter, path.”

Lexa took it in. If Octavia thought this was terrible, she could only imagine what sort of art she liked. This was amazing. It was Clarke, but on canvas.

“Moving over to the next one, we have _Rebel_. I painted this a few months ago when my mom got remarried. This is what I was feeling when I came home drunk from their engagement party.” The angry, red, diagonal slashes broke the flow of calming dark blues and grays that rose and fell horizontally across the canvas.

Clarke showed her four more of her paintings, each of which Lexa thoroughly enjoyed, before they got to what she decided would be her favorite. It was a triangle, the sides of it where the canvas stretched over the edge of the wood framing thickly outlined by light pastel pink, with three stripes of color dividing it into three layers: a darker pink, purple, and blue, in that order. The bisexual flag in a pink triangle, rejecting the shame the colored shape brought on in the 1940’s. But among the stripes lay another image, Lexa’s face.

Her face was detailed in the colors by swirls of Clarke’s brush using the color of the stripe it was in with a touch of white. There was just enough contrast between the flat strokes that accomplished covering the canvas with paint and the unique swirls that brought out the image that it was subtle but still very clearly there.

“Do you like it?” Clarke whispered in the soft din of the other guests.

“I...” She stepped back to see it better. “I love it. It’s me. I love me.”

“Indeed,” Clarke chuckled.

“It is also very gay.”

“Also true.”

Neither of them spoke. Lexa was almost waiting for Clarke to pick up her chatter again, but she hoped she wouldn’t so she could enjoy this moment a little longer. Clarke had painted her, _Lexa_ , on canvas instead of herself.

“What is it called?”

_“Meet Me Inside.”_

_“Meet Me Inside_ ,” Lexa repeated, testing the name on her lips. It felt heavy and light at the same time, like it held as much meaning to her as it did for Clarke. Her heart was pounding through her chest. “It’s good. Very good. This is all very good.”

Clarke stepped closer to her and slid her hand into Lexa’s, hesitating to lace their fingers together. Lexa tore attention away from the painting to focus on Clarke’s questioning blue eyes. She leaned in and kissed the blonde woman’s cheek softly.

“I like all of the paintings,” Lexa muttered, “but this one is by far my favorite.”

“I-I’m glad to hear that.” Clarke’s face was completely red. “Come with me to the back, I’ve one more to show you.”

They left the main show area and entered a sort of holding room for pieces that weren’t being displayed. Clarke told her to wait a moment and went looking for something.

“Aha!” she exclaimed. “I made this for you the day we met at the pet store.”

Lexa reached a hand out to receive the item Clarke offered her. It was a wooden 11” by 14” frame with a watercolor painting inside. One look at it and she knew this one was even more special than the one outside. All of Clarke’s other paintings except for Meet Me Inside consisted only of darker colors.

“So much green...” The different shades blended together to form her smiling face.

“It’s the only color I could think about when I left the store. Every shade of it.”

“I don’t know which one is my favorite now,” Lexa chuckled.

“Well that one is yours to keep.”

“Thanks.

They stood staring at each other. Lexa bit her lip as she fought the urge to take Clarke in her arms. Something in her mind nudged her to remind her she had something for Clarke too.

“I brought you some shirts. Anya printed the one I was wearing last week, and a few of the other designs that sold out.” She held them out for Clarke to take, which she did.

Clarke unfolded them one at a time, holding each one up to praise their designs. “These are all super cool. Thanks, Lexa!”

“And she told me to tell you not to worry about paying for them.”

“That is really nice of her. Tell her I said thank you so much.” Clarke put her arms around Lexa’s shoulders, bringing her into another hug. Lexa’s breath caught. This time she was sure her heart would beat right out of her chest. She stood stiff in Clarke's arms.

“Relax, you’re so tense,” Clarke whispered in her ear and Lexa came undone. She caressed the blonde’s face with the hand that wasn’t holding the painting and kissed her smirking lips. Clarke made a surprised noise, but ultimately kissed her back instead of stopping her. Both of their faces were flush when they broke apart.

“So gay,” said Lexa.

Clarke laughed. “Totally.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

Lexa left the gallery soon after her kiss with Clarke, relieved to not to see Raven at the front desk on her way out. They parted ways on good terms, Lexa thanking Clarke for giving her a tour of the art show and the painting and Clarke thanking her once again for the shirts, and both of them wishing each other a good night. The gallery was only a few blocks away from her apartment, and she took her time walking home even though she knew it probably wasn’t safe. She wanted to hold the memory of Clarke in her mind for as long as she could without Anya or Lincoln ruining her high with whatever comments they had about her mood.

“How was the show kid?”

“The show was good. Clarke is a good artist.”

“Just good?”

“Yeah.”

Lexa disappeared into her room and shut the door to stop Anya from asking her anything else. She fell back first onto her bed and held the painting Clarke had given her to her chest, the glass doing nothing to calm the blood coursing through her veins. After changing into an old tank and sweatpants, she set the painting on her night table. Then she crawled under her covers and drifted into a content sleep.

She woke up late the next morning since it was her day off. She rolled over to see someone had propped the painting up so that it was standing facing her. Lexa groaned and was rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she smelled something interesting.

“Anya,” she called.

“What?” Her sister immediately appeared in her doorway.

“Did you already make breakfast?”

“Yeah, pancakes. There’s a few left for you in--”

Lexa bolted out of bed to the kitchen. She opened the oven carefully and breathed in deeply. “Ahhh,” she smiled.

“Hungry much?” laughed Anya.

“You know how much I love breakfast food.” Lexa reached above into the cabinet to grab a plate. Then she opened a drawer and picked out her favorite fork from the various utensils. Sliding oven mitts over her hands, she took the plate of pancakes out of it’s warm environment and quickly set them on the table. She tossed the mitts on the counter then sat down to enjoy her food. Anya passed her the syrup, which she graciously took and drizzled over the pancakes perfectly.

“Mmmm,” she moaned as she took her first bite.

“Ew, kid, get a room.”

“I’m assuming you have things to do, places to go, that doesn’t involve watching me make love to these pancakes.”

“Okay that is disgusting.” Anya covered her eyes. “I’m going to work. Have fun with your food by yourself.”

“Bye Anya,” Lexa said through a mouthful of sweet goodness.

“But not too much fun!” she called before she closed the door behind her.

Lexa briefly abandoned her pancakes to retrieve her phone from her room. She pushed the home button on the screen to wake it up. She had a few texts from Lincoln reminding her she needed to pack for their trip the lake house, and one from Clarke that read, _Hey cutie. Heard you’re coming to the lake house this weekend._

**Lexa:** I am yeah. Octavia’s back from her vacation then?

 **Clarke:** Funny thing about that, she was actually never on vacation last week. She didn’t even care about the stupid fish I was so worried about. So now I have a pet fish.

 **Lexa:** If you really don’t want it I think Anya would take it. I’ll ask her when she gets home from work.

 **Clarke:** That would be a lifesaver. I can barely feed myself much less a pet, even if it is just a fish.

 **Clarke:** Have you got everything packed yet?

 **Lexa:** No, I just woke up a few minutes ago. I have the day off though, so I’ll be doing that after I go for a short run.

 **Clarke:** Sometimes Raven is able to drag me out for hikes, but I abandoned fitness long ago. What’s the secret to keeping to it? She won’t tell me.

 **Lexa:** Your friends seem to like keeping things from you. And I don’t know if there is one, I just like running. Clears my head.

 **Clarke:** We’ve known each other since diapers they’re just looking out for me. When my dad died I stretched myself too thin between school and work and friends, I ended up in the hospital from exhaustion.

 **Lexa:** I get that. Anya found me on the floor multiple times when my ex-girlfriend Costia died. We had broken up about a week before so I was already a mess and then she was shot in an alley by a mugger.

 **Clarke:** I’m so sorry to hear that :(

She wasn’t sure she should be telling Clarke this. But there was something about her that made her feel extra safe, even more so than she felt with Anya. They talked some more as Lexa finished her pancakes and got ready for her run. She was reluctant to tell Clarke that she had to go, Clarke assured her that they would be able to talk all they wanted that weekend at the lake house. Lexa couldn’t help but smile as she secured her phone in its holster band that wrapped around her upper arm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa might be starting to have trust issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems I've started to slow down a bit in the idea factory (never mind the fact that my non-writing life has suddenly become way busier than usual) so this will be the only chapter for today. Thanks for reading!

“All set?” Anya asked Lexa, setting her bag on the ground outside the Blakes’ house.

“I hope so,” she replied. She had gone over everything that morning before she left for work, as she wouldn’t have much time between when her shift ended and she was supposed to be at the Blakes’ house that afternoon.

Lincoln walked up to them. “Anya! Lexa!” He brought them both into a tight hug. “So glad you’re here.”

“Okay, Linc, you’re going to crush us,” Anya managed to say.

“Sorry, sorry. Come inside, An, I want you to meet Octavia.” Lincoln waved for them to follow him to the house.

Lexa adjusted the straps on her backpack and picked up her bag from the ground. Anya tried to carry it for her again, but Lexa assured her it was fine. Once inside, Lincoln introduced his fiancée to Anya and they shook hands. She gave them her blessing (not that she needed to, it was pretty much implied) and the four of them were joined by Bellamy and Raven. They introduced themselves to Anya as well. Lexa tried not to let her disappointment show when she heard Clarke wouldn’t be joining them until late the next night because she had to work and close out her art show.

An hour later, they finished loading the food supplies into Raven’s Jeep. Then Lexa was kissing her sister goodbye and climbing into the back seat of the Jeep, with Bellamy sitting up front with Raven. Lincoln and Octavia took one of the Blakes’ convertibles.

The ride was four hours, which Lexa spent looking out the window watching the scenery change from suburban, to city, to endless trees. A few times Bellamy and Raven paused their conversation to ask how she was doing and if she wanted to stop for a snack or something. Every time she said she was fine, that no thanks, they didn’t need to stop for anything unless they wanted to. She thought about what Clarke was doing right then. If she was also counting the hours, the minutes, the seconds until she was supposed to arrive at the lake house so she could hold Lexa in her arms again.

 **Clarke:** How’s the car ride?

 **Lexa:** Pretty standard. Raven and Bellamy are up front, talking. Lincoln and Octavia took a different car.

 **Clarke:** They aren’t leaving you out are they? I’ll kick their asses if they are.

 **Lexa:** No, no, not at all. I’m fine back here. The trees are nice.

 **Clarke:** I can’t wait for you to meet the boys.

 **Lexa:** There are more of these crazy people?

 **Lexa:** Jk, they seem like great people for now. Not crazy at all.

 **Clarke:** No I believe you were right the first time lol, we are all most definitely crazy, just you wait. And just two, Monty and Jasper. They’re coming up with me tomorrow.

 **Lexa:** I don’t know if I’m more scared or more excited to find out how Clarke Griffin parties with her friends.

 **Clarke:** I think both emotions are reasonable to be feeling about it, if that means anything.

 **Lexa:** Alright haha.

 **Clarke:** How about you? How does Lexa Woods party?

 **Lexa:** She generally does not. She’s a planner, but does not party.

 **Clarke:** I don’t believe that.

 **Lexa:** Well you better, because it’s true.

 **Clarke:** I won’t pressure you, but I think it’s time to change that.

 **Lexa:** As long as it’s with you, I’m not opposed to that idea.

 **Clarke:** Woooo time to begin Operation Party Lexa!!

 **Lexa:** Oh my god Clarke no

 **Lexa:** We just pulled up to the house, I’ll talk to you later okay?

 **Clarke:** Okay, have fun! :)

“We’re heeeere,” Raven announced, throwing the Jeep into park and jumping out.

Lexa got out of the Jeep and looked up at the house. It was about the same size as the one in the city, but more...woodsy. With wood panels and green trim, the number of windows scattered across the front boasted at least three rooms upstairs and a great living room on the first floor. The car Lincoln and Octavia took was already parked nearby and they could hear shrieks and laughter from behind the house.

“They must be swimming already,” Bellamy said, shaking his head. “I told Lincoln not to let her drive.”

“Octavia takes the speed limit as a suggestion, meaning she acknowledges that it exists and chooses to ignore it,” Raven explained to Lexa. “Bell’s had a hell of a time convincing the DMV that his sister is a responsible person despite her hundreds of speeding tickets.”

Lexa stood with a not quite stunned but amused look on her face. “I see.”

The three of them started unloading the Jeep. Sure enough, the engaged couple came stumbling into the kitchen sopping wet, asking if they needed any help. Of course they had already finished bringing all of the stuff in by the time they asked.

“There are two rooms down here, and another three upstairs. I usually take the one closest to the front but feel free to take your pick of the other ones,” Bellamy told Lexa.

She thanked him and picked up her bag on her way up the stairs. The room at the top of the stairs already seemed to be taken by Lincoln and Octavia, so she chose the one at the end of the hall. It had a view over the lake and out over the trees of the forest, which stretched far and wide as far as she could see; no one would be bothering them out here. After staring out of the window for a few minutes, someone knocked on her open door.

“Hey, Raven’s making some food if you’re hungry,” Bellamy said.

“That would be great,” Lexa replied. “I’ll be down soon.

He nodded and left. She took off the light jacket she was wearing and opened her bag to find one of the comfy sweaters she had packed. Pulling it over her head, she heard her phone buzz from the bed.

 **Anya:** All settled in?

 **Lexa:** Yep. Raven’s making some food for us.

 **Lexa:** I wish you could see the view, it’s amazing.

 **Anya:** Maybe next time Lincoln will invite me too haha.

 **Lexa:** He was a fool to not invite you this time.

 **Anya** : Have fun kid. Try not to text me this weekend okay? Get to know Linc’s new friends, and that girl Clarke you’re so obsessed with.

 **Lexa:** I’ll do my best.

 **Anya:** See you when you get back Lex.

Lexa locked her phone and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Raven had music on loud, and was dancing wildly to it as she moved around the room preparing the food. She noticed Lexa right away and motioned for her to join in. Lexa wasn’t keen on strangers watching her dance, but she decided to take Anya’s advice to heart and go for it. Raven’s smile got bigger when she saw Lexa begin to move her body to the beat. Soon, though, they had to lower the volume of the music and set the dining table in the next room. Raven called the others and they came filing in from outside.

“This looks great, Raven,” said Lincoln.

“It better!” She pointed her knife at him. “Otherwise I’m not making the food for your engagement party on Saturday.”

“Engagement party?” Lexa asked.

“Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you: we’re having our engagement party on Saturday night,” Lincoln told her.

Lexa threw her hands up in defeat. “Why do you even need me to help you plan anything? You’re doing just fine on your own.”

“Chill, Lex, you’re still planning the wedding and reception. We thought you’d be less stressed if we did some of the early stuff.”

“I think I feel more stressed, thank you.”

She spent the rest of the meal looking down at her plate and not participating in the conversation. The whole situation was less than ideal, her cousin suddenly hiding things from her and forgetting to tell her things when he _knows_ she likes to plan things in great detail. It was extremely out of character for him and she wasn’t sure she liked this new side to Lincoln. When she finished, she wasn’t sure if she should stay at the table to be polite until everyone had also finished, but when it became clear they were all going to stay there talking late into the night she retreated to her room. She picked up her phone and unlocked it. The messaging app was still open to her and Anya’s conversation, which she exited out of. Her finger hovered over her conversation with Clarke.

 **Lexa:** You still up?

Five minutes and no response. Oh well.

She clicked on it and scrolled up to their conversation from the previous day. Clarke had mentioned that her dad died but hadn’t gone into the details. To say Lexa wasn’t curious would be incorrect. Loss of a loved one was always a touchy subject, so she didn’t want to pry. Lexa laid staring at the screen until she nodded off to the hum of the conversation downstairs, exhausted from the day of travel.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa decides to trust the universe.

Lexa spent the next morning seated on the back porch of the house watching the others swim in the lake. She lathered sunscreen on so she wouldn’t burn and hoped for a good tan. They looked like they were having a ton of fun, she thought. Bellamy kept her company, briefly joining the others, but coming back after about an hour. They broke for a lunch that Raven also made mid afternoon.

Lincoln stopped her just as they were going inside. “I want to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

“I...I feel like I’ve been pushing you away lately. And I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say anything.

“It’s just, Octavia and I--it just seems like we’ve been waiting our whole lives to meet and now that we have...well...we’re trying to make up for lost time.”

“I see.”

He sighed. “I don’t know how else to explain this.”

“You don’t have to. You’re getting married, I’m happy for you.”

“Lexa, please--”

“I’m helping with your wedding, aren’t I?”

“I know, but you’re acting like you have a problem with it.”

Lexa thought for a moment. “I guess I just don’t understand. You two sound like you’ve basically known from the start that you were going to spend the rest of your lives together--”

“We did know that from the start.”

“--Yes, well, I thought the same about Costia. Look where we are now.” Her voice choked.

Lincoln wrapped his long arms around her. “Oh Lex,” he said softly, comforting. He kissed the top of her head.

“I miss her,” Lexa whispered into his chest.

“Life or death, she’s still with you. Until the very end.” He let her go, but kept his hands on her shoulders. “And being with Clarke won’t change that.”

She nodded and gave him a weak smile to signal that things were going to be okay between them. “So you really just knew?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” They went to join the Octavia, Raven, and Bellamy for lunch.

After lunch Lexa went up to her room to read for a while. She put in her headphones to drown out the noise outside. She fell asleep with her book open on her lap, head on her chest. keeping her place, and woke up to Bellamy alerting her to dinner again. As she groggily made her way down the stairs, Lexa heard unfamiliar male voices. There was a crash.

“Jasper no! That’s the second TV you’ve broken this year!”

Lexa entered the living room and saw two boys she had never seen before. One of them was standing over the broken television screen holding a game controller. The other had his face in his hands in disappointment. 

“Monty,” said the one over the TV, “I was having such bad luck! You would be angry too if you weren’t finding any health items and meeting all the biggest bosses.”

“You can’t blame the TV for your own bad playing,” said Monty, removing his face from his hands.

“You’re driving into town tomorrow to get a new us a new one bright and early before the party,” Bellamy told him. 

Lexa wondered who Jasper and Monty were for a moment, then made a connection. If those two are the boys Clarke was talking about, then--

“Lexa!” She was ambushed into a hug from behind.

“Hello Clarke,” she laughed. “You’re here early?”

“Yeah, the gallery owner was able to sell all of my paintings and was quick with the processing for once.” Clarke kissed her cheek then released her. "All except the one of you, of course, that one is already hanging on my wall at my apartment."

Lexa smiled and blushed, relieved to finally see a friendly face and slightly flustered at the memory of the magnificently gay portrayal of herself. It wasn't as if she was in the closet, but she didn't exactly show it on her sleeve either.

“Ah, so the Commander can smile,” Lincoln said, coming into the room too.

“Shut up,” she said jokingly.

“Come on guys, chili’s getting cold!” Raven yelled from the dining room.

Everyone sat down at the table, forgetting the TV for now, ready to indulge themselves in Raven’s specialty until they burst. Clarke insisted Lexa sit next to her at the corner, with Raven on her other side as the head of table. Bellamy sat at the other end. They passed around the giant pot of chili, wary of the weight and temperature of it. Next, the tray of corn bread made its way around. Throughout the conversation, Lexa still felt excluded, but Clarke would always try to include her and squeezed her hand every once in awhile to check to make sure she was okay.

They all cleared their plates quickly when they finished eating. Bellamy brought out another television screen (causing Jasper to start yelling again about how he didn’t actually have to drive into town after all) and introduced them to one Skaikru’s games that was about to go into beta testing. Bellamy took notes while they played for hours. Jasper broke one of the controllers in the process of trying to jump over the couch on his way back from the bathroom and suddenly the time caught up with them. They said their goodnights and went off to their rooms.

Clarke never let go of Lexa’s hand, except for when it was their turn to play, and Lexa couldn’t be more grateful for her presence. She closed the door to the room after they entered and Clarke was immediately on her, pushing her against it and kissing her hungrily. Lexa placed her hands around her waist, pulling her closer. With one last peck, Clarke nuzzled her nose softly, both of them smiling.

“I usually stay with Raven,” Clarke said.

“Oh.” Lexa tried not to sound disappointed.

“But I could stay with you?”

Lexa pressed their lips together briefly. “That would be nice.”

“Okay, I’ll go get my stuff then.” She nuzzled their noses again before backing away to let Lexa away from the door so she could leave. Lexa busied herself with getting ready for bed. Minutes later Clarke returned dragging a large duffel bag behind her and a backpack slung over her shoulder, also changed into her bedclothes. She threw both bags in the corner and then threw herself on the bed. Lexa shut the door and joined her. It wasn’t long before Clarke was snuggled in the curve of Lexa’s body. Neither of them said anything for a while, just glad to be close again after a few days apart.

Lexa reflected on the weekend so far. She wasn’t exactly having a good time yet, Lincoln was being unusually rude to her. I guess people really do change when they fall in love, she supposed. But her cousin used to be so kind, and sure, she had been getting more annoyed than ever at his teasing lately, but she had credited it all to her high levels of stress during wedding season. Months had gone by and the teasing wasn’t letting up, and she kept telling herself that she would be less sensitive to it when wedding season was over. Now, having been a wedding planner for a little over two years, she realized that wedding season was never over, and that her sensitivity to his teasing wasn’t going down because it was getting worse.

Lincoln and Octavia just looked so right for each other despite the short amount of time they’ve known each other. Lexa didn’t want to get in the middle of that. The only meddling she would do would be with their wedding, which they had already planned half of basically. Still, Lincoln had wanted to include her and that meant something.

And sitting here with Clarke, she finally understood what they were feeling.

Lexa was stroking Clarke’s blonde curls. “Clarke,” she whispered into the darkness. They hadn’t bothered to turn on the light.

“Yes?”

“Oh, nothing.”

They were quiet again.

“Lexa?”

“What is it, Clarke?”

“What are you thinking about?” Clarke sat up so that their faces were level.

She paused, wondering how to put her thoughts into words. “Well, I was just thinking about Lincoln and Octavia, and how they knew they were going to spend the rest of their lives together so quickly. I didn’t get really get it.”

“Yeah, they did only start dating about a year ago.”

“Well, I think I get it, now.”

“You do?”

Lexa held a hand to Clarke’s cheek, rubbing a thumb over it lovingly. “I do. They’ve known from the start that they wanted to do this, that joining themselves for life was exactly what they were waiting for their whole lives.”

“Oh, well that’s good for them, right?”

“Of course! Of course. Very good for them. It’s...it’s what I felt with Costia.”

“Costia...your ex-girlfriend.” Not a question, just a statement. 

Lexa nodded. "But I trust the universe knew what it was doing when it brought us together. It's time for me to move on.

Clarke fit herself back into Lexa. “My dad was a government official.”

She began to stroke her hair again. “Yeah?”

“He was given the death penalty for trying to tell a less off city their water supply was contaminated. The CDC was going to let them get sick and either die or move away so that they could use the land for an oil company that they had a deal with. My mom tried to make an appeal, but nothing worked.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I got to hug him one last time before they gave him the injection.”

Lexa nudged Clarke back to eye level. She put a hand on each side of her face and pressed their lips together, praying that the sudden rush of extreme feelings she was having towards Clarke was not one sided. It wasn’t. Clarke crawled on top of her, never breaking their kiss, which was getting more heated by the second. And then it was done. Lexa gave her one last kiss and pulled away. Clarke sat back on Lexa’s lap with her hands on the other girl’s chest.

“What is it?”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Clarke smiled. “I know you do.”

“You don’t feel it?”

She kissed Lexa’s forehead, cheek, jaw, and then neck, resting her head on her shoulder. “How drawn I am to you? Is it not obvious?”

“But there’s more to it than that--”

“I know,” Clarke silenced her. “Octavia always described it as waiting her whole life to meet Lincoln, and just knowing as soon as they met that they would have a future together. I may not have known when I was buying myself a fish, but I definitely know now. We were meant to be together.” She brushed her lips over Lexa’s collarbone, earning a small gasp from her. “Forever.” She looked up at her, allowing their eyes to meet for a moment, before shifting so she could kiss her stomach over her shirt. Pushing the cloth up to expose Lexa’s stomach, Clarke whispered against it. “Totally gay for each other.”

“So gay,” Lexa breathed as Clarke moved lower across the top of her sweatpants. “I think I could really get into that.”

“I hope so. Because I think I could really get used to the view from down here.”

“Clarke--”

Suddenly her pants were off and Clarke was kissing the inside of her thighs, reaching for the waistband of her panties to pull them off too. Clarke’s lips met the space between her legs, causing Lexa’s hips to rise up to receive them.

“Oh, I could _definitely_ get used to this,” Clarke chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Sorry this took so long to post, my family has been a bit hectic lately and I couldn't decide if I wanted to end the fic the way I did. This is my second ever posted fic (not denying that I have more unposted somewhere) so please feel free to point out any mistakes. Comments and/or kudos are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!


End file.
